Your Rights – RIP (Part II)

Consequently The RIP Bill became The RIP Act (or RIPA). The draft code of practice stated that RIPA orders could only be obtained in the interests of national security; for the purpose of preventing or detecting crime or preventing disorder; and in the interests of public safety. “We must ensure that such access is proportionate to the threat and highly regulated, and RIPA introduces, for the first time, strong statutory safeguards to govern... [Read More...]

Your Rights – RIP (Part 1)

The Passage of the Bill In 2000, the UK Government published details of its plans to allow law enforcement agencies to access email correspondence. For the first time, UK police would be able to lawfully read your emails and listen in on your mobile phone conversations.  The Regulation of Investigatory Powers Bill was positioned by the UK Government - then in its first term in Government and confident in its powers of spin - as nothing more than... [Read More...]

Making Allowances for Our MPs

Harry Cohen’s career as an MP serving the outer London Constituencies of Leyton and subsequently Leyton & Woodford following boundary changes has been unremarkable. In the past thirty years, he has never been considered for a front bench position in the Labour Party while in opposition or in government. Yet he has now been targeted by Fleet Street as the poster boy for sleaze on the Labour back benches for submitting the highest expenses claims... [Read More...]

A Peach Of A Problem

The European Union (EU) remains fragmented along linguistic, cultural and political lines. Yet despite these differences, what it has achieved in terms of economic and monetary union deserves a great deal of credit. The European Commission (EC) is not resting on its laurels. In addition to the 12 member states that have already adopted the euro – and the three member states that remain outside the eurozone – the EU has expanded east with the accession... [Read More...]